A beer-lover's Christmas wishlist

A few years back, it became apparent that my family had found out what to get me for Christmas, and ever since then I’ve received more beer-related gifts than I can count. Below are just some of my favorites.

Take your geekdom to a new level with this beer tasting kit, which includes samples of 13 different hops and a comprehensive guide to hosting your own beer tasting event. The concept is pretty simple — take a whiff of a hop variety, then smell and taste your beer until you can determine what kinds of hops are used in it. Start out with some American India Pale Ales, which are often heavy on the hop aroma, then work your way up to stouts and porters. ($39, www.tasteyourbeer.com)

33 Bottles of BeerIf you’ve ever been to the Dauphin Street Beer Festival, you know it can be hard to keep track of all the tasty brews you’ve put back. Enter “33 Bottles of Beer,” a pocket-sized booklet that includes a proprietary “flavor wheel” designed to help you easily remember the flavor, aroma, color and perceptions of the beers you drink. You’ll never again have to search through the fuzzy, beer-soaked memories of the festival to remember what you liked or didn’t like. ($4 each/3 for $10, www.33beers.com)

Abita Brewing Co. teamed up with some of the best chefs in the South to come up with this cookbook that uses Abita beer as both an ingredient and a pairing for a wide variety of dishes, from starters like drunken mussels to the Turbodog-braised short ribs, which I’ve made and found to be quite delicious. The recipes are approachable and easy to follow, and the book starts off with a thorough introduction to craft beer, including how it’s made, how to cook with it and what its history is in Louisiana. ($34, available at most book stores)

Beer Advocate subscriptionSure, www.beeradvocate.com is an amazing resource for all things beer, but the magazine that accompanies it is an even more impressive treasure trove of brewing knowledge. The monthly publication offers reviews, style profiles, recipes and news from around the beer world in a concise, well-designed package. ($16.99 for a one-year subscription through Dec. 31, www.beeradvocate.com).

In Belgium, nearly every brewery has its own glassware to accompany its brews. Why not in America? Jim Koch, founder of the Boston Beer Co., recruited the help of some very smart scientists to come up with the perfect glass for Samuel Adams Boston Lager. I received these glasses as a Christmas gift a few years back, and they quickly became my go-to vessel not only for Boston Lager, but for nearly all hop-forward beers. Sure, they’re beautiful, but they’re also functional, designed to increase head retention, hop aroma and carbonation. ($30 for a set of four, www.samueladams.com)